As developers increase demand for multistory facilities—especially with the advent of e-commerce distribution—contractors working in the industrial space might do well to consider how to meet the unique needs of this growing urban area market.

Since it opened, the Steamfitters UA Local 449 training center has been cited by the Pennsylvania governor’s office as an excellent example of the kind of skilled training programs the Keystone State needs to meet the required skills of today’s employers.

Combustible dust can be an underestimated hazard in the workplace—but installing dust collection systems for the industries that work with these fine dust particles can also be a smart business opportunity for sheet metal contractors.

The Alliance for Industrial Efficiency released a report in June 2018 called, “Committed to Savings: Major U.S. Manufacturers Set Public Goals for Energy Efficiency.” The report "reviewed 160 of the largest manufacturing companies with U.S. facilities to explore public energy efficiency and greenhouse gas (GHG) commitments."

Fueled by a soaring U.S. economy and lower corporate tax rates, industrial sector experts anticipate a 5.9 percent increase in overall U.S. industry plant spending to $328.5 billion in 2018. The spending forecast is up by $18.35 billion from last year according to the industry market research provider, Industrial Info Resources.

The industrial marketplace is a conglomeration of many types of work: food, pharmaceutical, steel, petroleum/chemical, automotive, pulp and paper, power generation, coal, agricultural, steel, hospitals, and laboratories, to name only a few.